Locked in
by PainedPage
Summary: Warning. Some bad language and lots of alcohol. Not suitable for those underage. Drarry. Harry and Draco end up locked in the Ministry after straying from a party neither really wanted to attend.


**Written for the Drarry prompt: _Harry and Draco get locked in the Ministry overnight. And Harry wants to swing from the chandelier._** **And because I personally believe breakfast dates are the best kind.**

Harry was bored. Completely and utterly bored. These Ministry events were so bloody pointless and being who he was, apparently _always_ had to make an appearance. Or so that's what everyone says. Even after five years since the War they can't seem to get enough of him. It was stupid. Honestly he'd rather be back at his flat watching telly, or sleeping. Hell, even work would be better than this. Well, actually, Harry loved being a Healer but even so, a giant ballroom, filled with people dressed to the nines drinking expensive champagne from tiny glasses and acting like snobs while reporters practically trample over each other to get your attention was not his idea of fun.

Yet here he was, in a muggle three piece suit talking to Dutchess something-or-other trying to resist the urge to roll his eyes as she shamelessly rubbed up and down his arm giggling. He didn't know who should be more embarrassed of the two of them. Clearly this woman doesn't read the _Prophet._ That bloody rag had more than covered his coming out and even though it wasn't something Harry liked to think about, at least the fanwitches had mostly stopped. Now all he had to do was go greet Kingsley and he could leave, only problem was, Kingsley knew this and would often avoid Harry. After excusing himself from the eager woman whos name he hadn't bothered to learn he went in search for the Minister. After narrowly avoiding getting roped into more pointless conversations that surely would have bored even Hermione to death Harry was about to give up and leave.

"I'm just gonna' go Mione."

"But Harry, you've only been here for an hour." Hermione reasoned.

"Yes, a thrilling hour it's been." He deadpanned.

"Have you even seen the Minister yet? This party is basically for you Harry."

"No I haven't, the bugger is avoiding me like he usually does at these things and it's not _my_ party, it's just some sorry excuse for rich people to get drunk and rub elbows with 'The Saviour'. They throw these bloody parties all the time. I just want to go home and enjoy my weekend off."

"Well go 'rub some elbows' then. Have some fun Harry, all you do is work."

"Never thought I'd hear you of all people say that." Harry teased.

"Yes, well we won't be telling anyone will we?" She crossed her arms and rose a eyebrow in challenge.

Harry placed his hands up in surrender. "Tell anyone what?"

"Exactly. Well if you really want to leave I think I saw Kingsley sneak off to his office half an hour ago, go say hi and you can leave."

"Yes mum." Harry teased again and dodged her attempt to swat his arm. Typical Kingsley, sneaking off to hide in his office at a party he's meant to be hosting. Maybe he wasn't avoiding Harry after all. He had seemed disappointed when Harry became a Healer instead of an Auror but he could understand Harry was done with all the fighting. Harry opened the large wooden door to the Ministers office and Kingsley wasn't in sight. Of course. Yup, he was never coming to one of these things again.

"Oi Kingsley, you in here?" He hissed.

 _Thud._

"Ow!"

What the?

Harry walked into the room and around the large desk. Someone was obviously hiding under the desk but it wasn't the Minister. He could see their legs and nudged their feet with one of his own.

"Heeey careful, that's real Italian l-leather." The voice chastised. A verry familiar voice. Even after not hearing it for years Harry would know it anywhere.

Harry crouched down to look under the desk and sure enough, Draco Malfoy was sitting there clinging to a bottle of Firewisky like his life depended on it.

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing here Malfoy?"

Malfoy crossed his arms and looked down his nose at Harry. "I was invited Potter. Is that okay with you?"

Harry groaned. "I figured that, I meant drunk and under Kingsleys desk."

"Am not drunk, just a lil tipsy." The blonde pouted rather petulantly.

Harry couldn't help himself, he chuckled. "That still doesn't explain why you're under a desk though."

Malfoy looked down at the bottle in his lap rather sadly. "Hiding."

Harry couldn't help but fell bad for the man in front of him. "Hiding? From what?"

"Them." As if that explained everything. It kind of did, Harry often -including that moment- wanted to hide from those people or avoid these things all together. He guessed their reasons were different though.

He reached a hand out to the other man. "Give it." He gestured to the bottle.

Malfoy gripped the bottle tightly to his chest. "No, it's mine. I found it."

Harry chuckled again. Drunk Malfoy was rather cute. "I'm going to give it back you dolt, I just want some. Now budge over." Harry crawled under the desk and took the bottle from the now gaping man and took a sip. It burned a bit but Harry didn't mind. Merlin how big was this bloody desk?

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing Potter?"

Harry shrugged and passed the bottle back. "Hiding."

"I meant being here with me."

"I assumed this was a good hiding place." Harry shrugged again. "You just happen to be here."

"It _was_ a good hiding place." Malfoy grumbled.

Harry just chuckled and took the bottle having another sip then passing it back.

"So you're just going to sit here and drink my alcohol with me like we're friends?" Malfoy questioned accepting the bottle.

"First of all, I know you stole that from Kingsleys stash and I don't even want to know how you knew was here. And second, yes."

"Why? What happened to us trying to kill each other and all that rot?"

"That was years ago Malfoy, besides we also did save each other as well."

Malfoy scoffed and took a sip. "When did I save you?"

"At the Manor." Harry took the bottle.

"What are you on about Potter?" That haughty tone was back.

"I know you knew it was me. You don't spend that many years making someone's life miserable, getting up in their face and business and not recognise them, even with the jinx Hermione got me with."

There was silence for a moment before the Slytherin spoke.

"Is.. is that why you saved me?" He sounded small and unsure. "You thought you owed me?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"I wanted to."

"Why?"

"Because I did."

"Wh- Potter stop making me ask so many questions and just explain would you?" Malfoy demanded.

"I can't explain it, I just knew I didn't want you to die. I didn't want anyone to die but there were those I couldn't save and I knew I could save you so I just did. I saw Crabbe fall, I heard him scream. I still hear him scream. I couldn't let that happen to you." He couldn't look at the other man through his speech but he could feel his eyes boring into him. He took a large gulp.

"Oh." Was all the blond offered in response.

After a bout of silence they fell into surprisingly easy conversation. They talked about work and friends and the past four years since finishing school. Draco was surprised to learn that Harry was a Healer. Everyone and their cat had pegged him for an Auror but Harry wasn't out to be the hero, he just wanted to help. Ron was disappointed at first but eventually he came 'round. What was more surprising though was what Draco did for a living. With his father in Azkaban and the War over he could finally do something he wanted to do. After spending the first half of his life only ever around pure-bloods and the second half in a lunatics War, Draco decided to leave the Wizarding world. Learning to live like a muggle had been terrifying at first but Draco was a fast learner and eventually gained a love for cooking. It was after all, much like potion making, only less magic and better flavours. Draco had his own catering business and a restaurant. That was how he ended up here tonight, and under a desk. He had wanted to return to the Wizarding world but quickly found people still didn't trust or like him and he'd felt uncomfortable, unwanted and out of place. He had come to the Ministers office looking to collect his paycheck when he'd found an empty office with an open bar. They talked for a long while passing the bottle back and forth. Eventually they finished the bottle and Draco started laughing.

"Wha's so funny?"

"We - we finshed the bottle. Kings gon' be maaaaaad." He continued laughing.

Harry scoffed. "He's got plen-plenty. Won' miss one bottle." He joined in on the other mans laughter.

"Wan' make it two?" Draco turned to Harry and was mesmerized by the shine in those emerald eyes.

Harry simply nodded, trying to not get lost in those silver pools. He was so mesmerized he went to stand forgetting they were under a desk and hit his head. "Ow!"

Draco broke out in a fit of laughter and Harry playfully shoved him. "Prat."

"Git." Draco teased right back still laughing.

Harry realised that this was the first time he'd ever heard the other man laugh. Actually laugh. No malice or sneer behind it, just genuine laugher. He liked it, thinking it sounded like music.

"We should probly get back." The blonde sighed heavily after calming his laughter.

"C'mon, les get one fer the road. Kings can spare a secnd bottle."

"Mmkay." The blond nodded and crawled out from under the desk. Harry couldn't help but admire the view. Draco disappeared from view and Harry recognised the sound of bottles clinking. He crawled out from under the desk and shakily got to his feet.

"Shall we?" Harry asked in a mock posh voice as he dramatically gestured to the door trying and failing to hold in his laughter.

"We shall." Malfoy answered in the same voice Harry had used. He stepped up to the raven haired man and linked their arms. "Lead on Potter, because I em not dealing with those people by myself."

"Certainly, Malfoy. But only if you share." He gestured to the bottle of what appeared to be vodka in Dracos hand.

Draco pulled out another bottle and handed it to Harry. "No."

Harry readily accepted the bottle and grinned as he lead them both laughing out of the office. They immediately stopped laughing however when instead of a ballroom full of dignitaries and various Ministry workers the room was empty. Where was everyone? They hadn't been gone that long, had they?

"We on th wrong floor or summit?" Draco asked as he looked around confusedly.

They couldn't be. Harry didn't remember walking up or down any floors and this was the ballroom. Harry cast a quick Tempus charm and saw it was half past two in the morning. The party had ended at midnight. They had been under that desk talking and drinking for almost four hours and were the only ones there. They decided to look around to see if they could find someone, or an exit.

So they went from floor to floor stumbling. Well, they thought they went from floor to floor. They had had to use the stairs and everything looked the same so they'd gotten turned around a few times and were becoming increasingly frustrated and confused. They had even gotten separated at one point but found the joys of being the only ones in the building was that they could run around yelling like idiots. So they decided to have fun. After an hour or so of chasing each other around playing drunken hide and seek they made it back to the ballroom and had fallen to the floor laughing in the middle of the room staring up at the dimly lit chandelier.

Draco rolled over to look at Harry. "Wot do ya' wanna do now?"

"Dunno. Got 'ny ideas?"

"A few, but 'm gettin hungry." Draco replied as he absently rubbed his stomach rolling closer to Harry.

Harry rolled closer to Draco. "Me too. Wan get some breakfast?"

"How? We're still locked in!"

"Well, how da' we get out? We can't apparate 'n th' floo 'n doors is locked." Harry huffed, now that he was thinking about food he really wanted to get out.

"Wot I wanna know is, how does no one know we're bloody well in 'ere?"

An idea came to Harry and he was glad he was drunk because if he were sober and hadn't thought of this till now he'd have to kick himself. "We could do magic."

"Yeah, we're Wizards, how thick are you Potter?"

"Nah I mean to call the Aurors here. If we do magic it'll 'lert them that someone is in 'ere 'nd they'll have ta come in 'nd we jus' tell 'em we got locked in."

Draco scoffed. "Yeah 'en they'll let you go and I'll get arrested."

"Pfft nooo, you'll be fiiiine."

The idea of calling Aurors had relatively sobered and scarred Draco. He held up his left arm staring at where he knew the fading - but still rather noticeable - Dark Mark to be, though currently still hidden by his sleeve. "That's what Father said." He whispered, not even knowing or caring if the other man heard.

Harry couldn't think of another way out and being that it was now Sunday not even Ministry worker assistants would be in till some time after nine. Being drunk and locked in the Ministry was no longer fun when you added hungry into the mix and Harry knew he'd upset the blond. He couldn't fix the past but he could fix their current problem. "Can I have that?" Harry gestured to the bottle of clear alcohol Draco was still cradling.

"No, this one's mine, you have your own."

"Swap then?" Harry made to offer his bottle but once he had Dracos he hastily cast a Levicorpus on the other man and lifted him into the air.

Draco flailing like a lunatic yelled. "What the bloody hell are you doing Potter!?"

"Oh shut up and grab on," Harry laughed. 'M gettin' us outta here."

"Grab onto what!?" Draco shouted indignantly.

"The bloody chandelier you great prat." Harry grinned as Draco grabbed on for dear life to the gaudy light fitting. Only momentarily relaxing his grip to flip the smiling Gryffindor off. That just made him laugh as he retrieved the bottles. "Now, you lift me up. 'N be quick 'bout it."

"You're a real git ya' know Potter."

"So you've said."

They were both smiling again now as Draco cast and lifted Harry up to join him on the fixture. Draco absently wondering and hoped it could hold their combined weight.

"This your great plan then?"

"Yes, we're hiding. The Aurors come in through the floo 'cause they won't take down the apparition wards so alls we have to do is wait 'nd sneak past 'em."

"They're Aurors Potter, not teachers or Peeves." Draco deadpanned.

Harry just continued on as if the other man hadn't spoken. "And I have always wanted to do this." He gripped the wrought iron bars as hard as he could and leant back causing his weight to shift and the chandelier to swing.

"No. No no no don't you daaaaare!" Draco demanded as he recognised the mischievous look in Harrys eyes. "You've gone mad Potter!" The Slytherin accused but despite himself smiled at the ridiculousness of his current situation and began to enjoy himself again.

"Perhaps." Harry laughed.

Their joy was cut short however as the wall lights in the building flared to life and they knew the Aurors had arrived. Soon enough two men in red robes with wands drawn eventually stormed into the room searching for the source of the detected magic. The looked in alcoves and down corridors but eventually gave up, seeming to not really care. "Let's check the next floor up." The burly one not so quietly whispered to the thinner of the two who nodded in agreement.

"Oh wow," Draco breathed "the people who work here really are shite."

Harry chuckled a little. "Okay, I'll help you down first. We gotta do this quick, use Silencio and Notice-Me-Not so presumably the one guarding the floo won't see us, we'll floo to Diagon Alley and I'll apparate us from there. Ready?"

"Ready."

Seven minutes later somewhere in muggle London having mostly sobered up from their escapades.

"Holy carp they really are shite aren't they? How is it after a night of drinking we can best a team of Aurors and escape the bloody Ministry of Magic?"

Harry laughed as he pointed to something behind Draco. "Food is a great motivator."

Draco turned and smiled from ear to ear as he saw a small lit up building that had '24 hour pancake parlour' written across the front window.

"So," Harry began as he slid his hand down Dracos arm where he'd held him to apparate to his own. "Draco Malfoy, will you have breakfast with me?"

Draco squeezed Harrys hand, his smile never leaving. "I'd love to."


End file.
